Education Material
Resources to help citizens, communities and stakeholders understand renewable energy, solar communities and the energy transition.
The Sociarem Toolkit brings together a set of innovative digital tools designed to support the development and operation of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs). From planning rooftop solar installations to managing grid integration, enabling local energy trading, and optimising real-time energy use, the toolkit covers the full energy value chain. By combining technical, economic, and social perspectives, Sociarem empowers citizens, grid operators, and communities to actively participate in the energy transition. The tools promote smarter energy decisions, improve efficiency, and ensure that locally generated renewable energy is used in the most effective way.
This tool optimizes the operation of PV inverters within an energy community by solving a multi-objective optimisation problem that enhances power quality while ensuring fair inverter utilization. The tool leverages real-time measurements from the inverters and the power quality analyser and fairness metrics like Jain's index. By considering inverter degradation and energy-sharing mechanisms, the controller enhances power quality and extends inverter lifetime.
The Open-Source Planning Tool for Grid Managers is a software designed to optimize the planning and operation of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) in Renewable Energy Communities (RECs). It helps distribution system operators (DSOs), REC managers, and planners to evaluate the technical and economic impacts of REC's integrated PV generation and battery energy storage on distribution networks. The tool identifies optimal size and operation of DERs in RECs, considering several objective functions with/without grid constraints. Moreover, it enables the assessment of impacts on distribution networks. The tool focuses on planning and day-ahead optimisation. Real-time control is not envisioned.
The P2P Market Emulator and Blockchain-based platform optimize energy sharing within local communities by enabling participants to trade self-produced renewable energy. Producers and consumers set their trading preferences (price limits and availability), while real-time metering and predictive models support bid optimisation and double auction-based matching. Dynamic sharing coefficients define actual energy exchanges, and settlements are securely recorded through a blockchain layer that issues energy tokens. The tool enhances local renewable use and ensures transparent, automated transactions among members.
The Topological PV Planning Tool is a decision-support application designed to optimize Photovoltaic (PV) Capital Expenditures (CAPEX) investments by integrating topological constraints into the planning process. It evaluates and compares individual and collective self-consumption schemes, calculates topological performance indicators for each rooftop, estimates consumption patterns over a representative year, and delivers Return Of Investment (ROI) projections and key KPIs.
The Real-Time Optimisation Tool focuses on enhancing the management of distributed energy resources by integrating batteries and e-mobility solutions. It leverages real-time operational data (e.g., state of charge, active power measurements) together with periodically updated external datasets retrieved from APIs or data repositories (such as market prices, weather forecasts, and CO₂ emission factors) to forecast energy demand, renewable generation, and operational conditions. The tool optimizes operational decisions each 15min, shifting energy consumption to low-price periods or peak solar production hours, reducing overall energy costs, and improving system efficiency.
The SOCIAREM Serious Game is an interactive tool that makes energy concepts engaging and accessible, helping citizens understand the impact of their energy choices through gamification. Adapting content to diverse cultural and geographical contexts, it increases citizen awareness, participation and energy literacy across the project's demo sites.
Open and interoperable data-sharing infrastructure enabling communities to collect, exchange and leverage social and energy data in a privacy-preserving way. The Social Data Spaces framework supports transparent, community-driven insights into energy behaviour and collective performance.